Journeying Through the Dark
by Reetinkerbell
Summary: Draco and Hermione are on the run from Fenrir. DracoxHermione, written for dmhgficexchange.


**Title**: Journeying Through The Dark**  
>Fandom<strong>: Harry Potter  
><strong>Characters<strong>: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: Draco and Hermione are on the run from Fenrir.**  
>Rating<strong>: Mature**  
>Word<strong> **Count**: 4 444**  
>Spoilers<strong>: AU _Deathly Hallows_.  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Light darkish themes, some smut.  
><strong>Author's<strong> **Note**: Thanks to my beta **shag_me_draco**. Much longer note at the end.**  
>Distribution<strong>: Link only please.**  
>Written<strong>: May 2011 - For **unseen1969** the **dmhgficexchange** (at LiveJournal) **Darkest Before the Dawn with Draco and Hermione Fic Exchange**. Her request is at the end.

**Journeying Through The Dark** (1/1)

Draco looked away from her, his eyes trained on the edge of the forest as she sat on a boulder, the cold of the hard rock seeping into her jeans uncomfortably.

"We can't stay long," he said, shifting his backpack nervously.

"I know," Hermione replied. "I just have to catch my breath." She put a hand on the side of her stomach, unable to prevent a small groan of pain from slipping out.

He turned to her, worry marring his face in a frown. "You all right?" he asked, coming closer, his eyes alternating between looking into hers and down at where her wound lay hidden beneath her clothes.

"I'm fine," Hermione said. "It's almost healed now. I think I've just pushed myself too hard today, when we climbed the side of the-"

"Let me see," Draco interrupted, crouching down in front of her. Hermione wordlessly allowed him to slide his fingers in under her jacket, in under her top and lift the fabrics up to reveal the makeshift bandage. It was stained red and Draco cursed. "I have to change it."

He removed his backpack and rifled through it quickly, aided by the soft moonlight, soon resurfacing with their first aid kit. Removing the soiled bandage, Draco inspected the wound for a moment, his face grim, before he cleaned and redressed it in silence.

A bird chirped in the distance, and Hermione allowed herself to feel a moment of relief. _He_ wasn't too close, at least. Another bird answered the call, and at the sound, even Draco's shoulders seemed to relax, if only a little.

"There, that should hold you. Hopefully 'til we reach Tavistock and can get more supplies," he said. Before lowering her clothes back down, Draco pressed a soft kiss to the skin above the edge of the bandage, allowing his lips to linger for several moments as he breathed. Hermione ran a hand through his dirty hair, and when he stood, kissed him back when his lips touched hers.

Draco packed the first aid kit into his bag, careful to not leave any bloodied pieces of fabric behind and out in the open: it would all have to be disposed of in a fire.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand. Hermione allowed him to pull her up from the rock, and they quickly left the clearing behind, hand in hand, to continue their journey.

– – – –

They were attacked one night, while in Cornwall for the first time. Somehow, Hermione found herself separated from Harry and Ron, and even Ginny, though the girl hadn't let go of Hermione's hand until the very last minute of the attack: Hermione had simply turned around, and Ginny had not been there from one second to the next.

A curse had flown at her, and she'd dropped and rolled - right into Draco, who'd grabbed her hand and pulled her to safety: the first time he'd saved her that night.

They'd been running together ever since: first North, then South again when they realised they didn't know where to go but to Shell Cottage, since Hogwarts was out of the question and as far as they knew, Bill and Fleur's home had not been compromised, as other locations already had been.

Hermione didn't know if Harry, Ron or Ginny were still alive.

She tried not to think about it.

It wasn't easy to not think about it of course, given that she had a lot of time on her hands, since there was nothing else to do while on the run but to argue with Draco.

– – – –

It rained, one night.

It rained on several nights, but on this particular one they had not found shelter before the rainstorm hit. The plains they were travelling across were open for miles, and the quickly rising water made journeying through it in the dark treacherous.

They were unable to build a fire, and so instead huddled together beneath their cloaks, close, so close, to keep each other warm.

That was the night Hermione Granger _saw, felt, touched_ the naked body of Draco Malfoy for the first time.

– – – –

_He_ came close to catching them once. They'd happened upon a small village, and not knowing any better at the time and still unaware of the fact that they were hunting by an animal rather than a mere evil human, they'd allowed the false sense of security other people could bring, to bring them back from the edge and relax. They'd set up camp in a room they'd illegally procured, and Hermione had even washed some clothes in addition to herself, before he broke in through the door.

They'd barely escaped with their lives, saved by a man with a weapon which had not ended up saving his own.

Hermione had felt guilty for days.

Mostly over the fact that she didn't feel guilty that she and Draco were alive, while an unknown Muggle had died, just to protect them without knowing why.

They leaned then not to stop in one place for too long: even in human form _he_ is an excellent hunter, and while easier distracted while in wolf form, if he is not distracted, his pursuit of them is far fiercer.

– – – –

The night had been dark but for the bright flashes of light as curses and spells flew through the air.

"Malfoy, get down!" Harry shouted somewhere to her left, and in a moment of stupidity, Hermione had taken her eyes off the battle in front of her and turned her head to look, to make sure that Malfoy did, in fact, duck out of the way.

A moment later a tree behind her burst into flames as a curse narrowly missed her. Sounds came back to her as she rejoined the fight with a renewed focus and vigour.

She'd been blind to everything but survival and it wasn't until Draco had thrown himself on top of her, the both of them tumbling to the ground as the air sparkled with a round of hexes that seemed to be coming from everywhere, that she could breathe again. Their eyes wide, they'd stared at each other.

Then, Draco had gotten up, taken her hand and pulled her away.

They'd run, and they'd run.

For a whole week, they didn't speak a word to each other.

– – – –

"Hermione, I-" his voice broke off as Hermione's fingers touched a small freckle on his exposed shoulder.

Their eyes met, hidden under the warm cloak, hidden under the rain, hidden under the open sky.

As their lips met, nothing else mattered.

– –

In the morning when they woke, Draco's naked body, strong but skinny, wrapped around Hermione's equally naked body, soft and tired, a fog had rolled in over the landscape.

It'd been thick, and while that'd forced them to stick close and sometimes even hold hands, it enabled them both the freedom to avoid the other, both too embarrassed over what had happened the night before to meet each others eyes.

It had been the first time for both, and though not nervous in the moment, they made up for it the morning after as they wordlessly pushed themselves harder than usual as they trekked through the land, all to ensure that when they finally settled for the night, the other was too exhausted to want to talk.

– – – –

Dartmoor National Park was not large, but still it took them close to twenty hours to travel through: partly because they were tired and wounded, but also because they got lost. Both were unwilling to use high level magic unless absolutely necessary: they didn't know if it could be traced and they didn't want to risk it - that'd been one of the very first things they'd been taught by Lupin and Moody before they set out on their Horcrux quest.

They woods were quiet and dark, but not so unnaturally quiet and still as meant that Fenrir was near, when even the more vicious and bold animals ran as far away as they could.

They'd learnt that lesson well. While hiding out in Brecon Beacons National Park, they'd been looking for a good place to stop for the night when Hermione had suddenly noticed the stillness. They'd instinctively drawn closer to each other, their wands at the ready for the first time in weeks and then Fenrir stepped out from behind a tree. He'd been in human form, but his lecherous grin had made them both all too aware of the danger of the animal within him.

Neither of them were sure why he was following _them_. Hermione tried not to think about what it might mean for her friends, and Draco knew better than to bring up the possibility of them being alone in the world now. They both need the hope, even if they had each other.

"Well, _hello_," he'd grinned at them.

Hermione's heart had thundered madly in her chest, and Draco had swallowed thickly as his fear paralyzed him.

"What do we have here?" he'd begun to stalk closer to them, one slow step at a time.

His movements had snapped both Hermione and Draco back to life, and their wands rose as one from where their hands had fallen to their sides.

"Don't come any closer," Draco had said his voice surprisingly even.

Fenrir had laughed. "I'm going to enjoy this." Then he lunged.

"_Petrificus Totalus_," Hermione cried, just as Draco began shouting, "_Sectumsempra_," over and over, hitting Fenrir and cutting his face and chest. Wounds appeared on his body, but no blood came out from the split flesh, having been frozen within him by Hermione's spell. It was an unpleasant sight.

"Come on," Hermione took a hold of Draco's elbow and together they ran. They didn't stop, even when they stumbled through the forest and tripped over exposed roots, until they reached the edge and came upon a river, running along the edge of the forest. They followed it, still stumbling through the dark, until they found a bridge to cross. Coming upon a small town, they waited nervously in the train station for the first available train out, as the sun rose above them.

It was only once they were safely seated together and the train had departed from the station that Hermione looked at Draco and asked the question that'd been plaguing her as they ran.

"The curse," she asked in a quiet voice, mindful of the other passengers, "why did you use that one given what'd-?"

"It's effective," he'd replied with an air of finality, signalling his desire to end the conversation before it'd even started.

Hermione let him be; choosing instead to rest her head against the window and allowing the rocking of the moving train to lull her into a restless sleep.

– – – –

"Good morning," Draco whispered as Hermione blinked awake. The first thing she saw were his long legs stretched out in front of him, and his feet still encased in the black combat boots they both wore.

She turned her head in his lap and looked up into his tired eyes. She yawned as she sat and stretched, wincing as her wound pulled. It was mostly healed, but still tender.

"Are you hungry?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded, blinking into the morning light.

"You let me sleep too long," she accused him, noticing the placement of the sun. "You were supposed to wake me up several hours ago, so you could get more sleep."

Draco smiled in reply. "You were tired," he replied.

Hermione sighed. "We've been over this, Draco: you can't let me sleep at your expense, or give me more of the food. We need to both be in top form."

"I'm fine," he said, standing. "Now come on, I think the shops have opened, and while you were out I transfigured several leaves to look like banknotes. We should have enough to buy food and rent a room to shower."

Hermione groaned in pleasure. "A shower would be very nice. But maybe we should wait on that until we get to Plymouth. We can't stay here for too long."

"Or," Draco grinned, picking up his bag, "we could get a room here and shower together: we'd save time _and_ conserve water."

"I do kind of don't want to get on another train looking like a dirty beggar," Hermione agreed, taking his hand as they left the forest.

From the edge, it didn't take them long to reach Tavistock, where they immediately picked up medical supplies before finding a room - in no time at all had they secured a private room from the night at a hotel close to the train station. They wouldn't be staying for long, much less all night, but the cost was of little concern to them given where the money had come from.

The receptionist looked at them in doubt when they stepped into the lobby, but since they paid up front and gave her a tale of how they'd gotten lost in the woods while on a hike to explain their appearances, she gave them their key without a word before turning back to filing her nails.

Upon entering their room, Hermione and Draco both dropped their bags right inside the door and without a shared headed to the en-suite.

Discarding their dirty clothes on the tiled floor of the bathroom, Hermione sighed as she stepped in under the warm water. For a moment, she simply stood; her head bent as the water beat down on her and washed away layers of dirty from her skin, the warmth soaking into her and easing her tense muscles. When Draco stepped in behind her and slid a hand against her wet back, she sighed again in contentment and rested her head back against his shoulder.

They stood in silence, allowing the water to wash over them both for a moment, before Hermione reached for the complimentary soap with a sigh as she unwrapped it. Draco grinned against her hair, taking it from her.

"Allow me," he said, already lathering the cake up between his hands, coating them with white suds. He handed the soap back to Hermione over her shoulder before he put his hands on her stomach, the water and the slick soap making it easy for him to glide over her skin as he washed her, carefully avoiding her wound.

Once her stomach was covered in the suds, he moved up and over her breasts, teasing them quickly as he slid his hands over her hard nipples before moving on towards her neck and shoulders, then down her arms.

Once he reached her hands, he took the soap from her to lather up some more; upon returning it to her, he started to wash her back starting from her neck and ending at her bottom, which he caressed and groped quickly.

"Turn around," he whispered against her ear, his arms sliding over her as she turned in his arms.

He took the soap once more and got down on his knees in front of her to wash her long legs; sliding his hands up and down her thighs, teasingly running his fingers between her legs with light touches.

"Rinse," he said, his voice low. He watched her from his position on the floor as she raised her hands up and helped the water slide the suds away from her body, his eyes following the movements as more and more of her naked skin was completely uncovered.

She smirked as their eyes met, dark and hungry.

"Get up here," Hermione told him and Draco obliged, rising. Their lips met immediately in a frenzied kiss.

Hands slid over wet skin as they reached out to touch every part of the other that was within reach, pressing and scratching light fingertips over sensitive areas. Moans rose in the small shower cabin as they leisurely enjoyed each other; something not often possible while being on the run.

The heat of the shower quickly steamed up around them, and as Hermione slid a hand from his neck down his back slowly, all the way down to cup his arse and pull him tighter against her body, Draco wasn't sure if it was the warm water or Hermione's touch that produced the most heat within him. All he knew was that she was there, she was his and, as far as he was concerned, he had all the time in the world to have her.

Draco pushed Hermione back towards the wall, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"I kind of don't want to touch the wall any more than I have," she said.

"Then turn around," he replied.

She did, arching back into him when he slid a hand down her back to caress her bum and grip her hips. His hard cock pressed into her as he leaned closer and told her in a heavy voice to put her hands on the wall. Hermione shivered as she did what he said: her reaction as much for his words, his presence as it was how he'd whispered them into her ear, his breath warm on her skin - so strong and decisive as he took charge.

The water beat down around them as Draco slid a hand from her hip, over her stomach, and from there, down to her already slick clit. He touched the nub, caressing it with just the right amount of pressure, something he had learnt after many trials and errors. He had been an eager student and Hermione, a patient and willing test subject over the past several months, and now they were both skilled in the art of love making - at least when it came to knowing the other, and that was all that mattered.

Hermione moaned Draco's name out in a strangled cry as his fingers touched her _just_ _right_, his other hand massaged her breast, tweaking and tugging her hard nipple in contrast to the soft way he fingered her.

Draco slid his fingers down from her clit to her wet slit, chuckling into her hair as Hermione made sounds of protest for him having stopped touching her just the way she wanted.

"Be patient, love," he said. "I don't want just another quick shag, not now."

"I know, I know, but Draco-" the last word came out as more of a sound than a name, and prevented her from finishing saying what she'd meant to, as Draco had taken the opportunity to push two fingers into her.

With his whole front pressed against her back, and his arm around her, still fondling her breast, Draco felt it in his own when her body shook. She moaned and arched as he touched her expertly, and when his thumb caressed her clit back and forth, Hermione came with a strangled cry of his name, her body quivering against his.

Hermione leaned back against him, placing her hands on his thighs as he wrapped his arms around her, and for a moment, they simply stood together, enjoying the feel of the other as Hermione came down from her orgasm high.

Her head leaned against his shoulders, and it didn't take much for her to turn her head to meet his lips in a kiss. The kiss deepened, as most of their kisses did, and soon Draco had her pressed back up against the wall, her hands on the slick surface of the ceramic the only thing preventing her from pressing her body against it.

Draco caressed her as he helped her legs part to stand in the position that would maximise the pleasure for them both, and after pressing himself closer and kissing her side of the neck, Draco pushed his cock into her with a strangled groan.

Hermione moaned as she felt him fill her again, stretching and pressing her everywhere. One of his hands held her hip in place as he pulled back and then came fully back inside again, while his other hand was pressed against her lower abdomen, two fingers touching her clit again.

"I'm not going to last long," he warned against her ear as he thrust in again.

"That's ok, neither am I," Hermione breathed, pushing her bum back into him as he pressed his cock forward and further into her.

His touch on her clit became erratic as the speed of his thrusts increased, going deeper now as Hermione bent forward. But he held on, desperately wanting her to come with him.

Their moans and groans, cries of the other's name and the sounds of their wet bodies coming together and pulling apart was no longer drowned out by the sound of the water, and if either had cared, they would've spared a thought to their next door neighbours, but as it was, they could care less about anything but the other and the pleasure they shared.

Draco gripped both of her hips as he thrust in and out of her wetness, biting down to keep himself from coming. "Come on, come on, _comeon_," he urged her on, finally wrapping his arm around her bent hips so he could use the other to touch her clit again.

She came with a cry, and Draco followed two thrusts later, continuing to pump into her as her walls contracted and quivered around him.

They stood for a moment together, still joined together as they caught their breaths.

Draco caressed Hermione's back, which was still bent over, before he pulled back and out of her. Hermione stood too, groaning as she felt the now cold water spray hit her with a shock. She turned the knobs, and soon warm water sprayed out at them again.

She turned to Draco, and happily returned the kiss he bestowed on her lips.

She pulled back with a sigh. "We should get going," she said regretfully.

Draco nodded slowly, turning towards the spray of water. "I know."

"I got dirty again," Hermione laughed as she gently slapped his chest to get him to move out of the direct line of water.

"I don't mind cleaning you again," Draco said, smirking.

"Shut up," Hermione replied, turning to grab the complimentary shampoo. Squirting out a liberal amount, she started to wash her hair as Draco soaped himself up beside her.

They switched places in the cramped shower without a word so Draco could wash off while she put conditioner in her hair. They switched again once Draco had rinsed his hair, so that Hermione could too.

He stepped out of the shower first, leaving her to turn off the water. When Hermione stepped out of the shower cabin, Draco was standing in front of the mirror, drying off.

Hermione wrapped a towel around her body as she came to stand beside him, watching him for a moment. She raised a hand and ran it through his still wet hair, rubbing his scalp with her fingertips. "I should probably cut your hair soon," she said, "it's gotten really long again."

Draco nodded, wrapping his towel around his hips. "Maybe later, we need to clean your wound first and then we should probably head out of here."

"All right, let me just dry off first."

While Hermione dried off, using a second towel for her long hair, Draco went into the bedroom to pick up the medical supplies.

"You ready?" he asked as he came back into the bathroom, putting the shopping bag on the counter.

"Yeah, hang on," Hermione answered. She picked up their dirty clothes and took it back into the bedroom to put away in one of their bags for later washing. Had they had time, she would've put them in the sink to soak.

Removing the towel, she put some underwear on before rejoining Draco in the bathroom. He'd already unpacked the shopping bag and stood prepared. He gave her a smile and a quick kiss before opening a bottle and pouring some of the liquid onto a swab.

He leaned down to start cleaning her wound, but frowned for a moment, putting the swab away before grabbing her.

"What are you-?" Hermione asked as he lifted her and placed her on the counter.

"Better access," Draco explained.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Uhu," she agreed unconvincingly.

"To the wound," Draco smirked, "of course."

"Of course." Hermione smiled.

Draco picked up a new swab, and poured liquid on it before he set about cleaning her wound and redressing it. Once done, he leaned into her and kissed her. Their kiss quickly turned deeper, and Hermione groaned as she pulled away.

"We need to get going," she said regretfully, leaning her forehead against his, holding onto him as he nodded against her.

"I know," he agreed, but didn't move until he'd kissed her again. Then he helped her down from the counter and allowed her to head back into the bedroom to dress while he cleaned up the counter.

"We need to pick some food up on our way to the train," Hermione called out to him, just as Draco stepped out of the bathroom.

"I saw a supermarket on our way here."

They dressed in silence next to each other, and after making sure they had everything packed they left the room hand in hand.

They left the hotel the same way they'd come, dropping the key off at the front desk when the receptionist wasn't looking. Since they'd used fake names and paid in cash, and not done anything to the room that would warrant the hotel wanting to find them, they left without looking back.

They held hands as they headed towards the supermarket, quickly going through it to get just what they needed before heading to the train station and the train that would take them to Plymouth. From there, they planned on hiking along the edge of the water down to Salcombe and then up again, towards Torbay.

Travelling by train meant that Fenrir took longer to locate their scent again - he himself never took the train, preferring to hunt on foot - and they hoped that by finding a sturdy boat to take around Land's End from Torbay up to Shell Cottage would turn his head around and throw him off their trace completely.

Or at least long enough for them to reach a hideaway he would be unable to find them in.

Draco carried their bag from the market, his other hand wrapped around Hermione's. They smiled at each other as they headed towards the station, both feeling refreshed from their shower and invigorated from their lovemaking.

They boarded the train with minutes to spare, and took their seats next to each other.

**The End**

**Request**  
><strong>Would you prefer an art or fic gift?<strong> Fic  
><strong>Preferred rating:<strong> Any, from K up through and including NC-17 (I do like smut :) )  
><strong>Describe what you'd like in as few wordskeywords as possible:** Draco and Hermione are on the run from Fenrir Greyback. Be as dark as you want, or not, but please have happy ending for D/Hr.  
><strong>Dealbreakers (absolute no-no's):<strong> No pedophilia, no child abuse; no Draco or Hermione death;

**Author's Note:** "high level magic" is something I took creative licence on, if only to make it possible for Draco and Hermione to still use their wands, just with caution. Magic of high level includes protection and defensive spells as well as hexes and curses, of any kind, and are things I personally could imagine Voldemort and his "friends" wanting to trace.

Transfiguration spells would not fall into these categories, even if what you transformed was a stick into a gun, if only because it would be too much for the Death Eaters to investigate if everything magical was placed under some form of detection.

All places are real, except for Tinworth, which is JKR fictional. Tinworth is where Shell Cottage is supposed to be located near.

With the help of Yahoo Answers, I estimated the time to walk through Dartmoor National Park to take an average of 10 hours in reality (allowing for rough terrain and not being able to walk right across). If you ever wanted to try it out yourself.


End file.
